Except for when you get on the gas, then that nice V-8 soundtrack cranks up. Driving the streets and highways around Sonoma, I found that both cars still rode very well and rather quietly. What also impressed me was how the added track prowess didn’t seem to have a negative impact on the Charger’s cruising characteristics. There’s good feedback, even in a track environment, an area in which many EPS systems struggle, and it also made the Hellcat a bit easier to use at low speeds as well. The Hellcat’s move away from a hydraulic steering system had me wary, but after driving with the electronic power steering system, my concerns were alleviated. This is truer in the Scat Pack than the Hellcat it has less weight in the engine compartment and it feels the more agile of the two by a decent margin. You also get a much sharper initial turn-in, and for a big car the nose feels rather light. And as I mentioned above, this additional balance along with the wider tires means that you can get back onto the gas more quickly and the car won’t lose its rear end. The Widebody grips harder onto the road and stays flatter, allowing you to carry more speed into turns with greater confidence. On the track, the difference between the standard car and the Widebody twins is immediately apparent. The Scat Pack Widebody has 27 percent stiffer front springs compared to regular Scat Pack models and a larger rear sway bar both have retuned shock absorbers for the stiffer springs. The Hellcat Widebody has 32 percent stiffer front spring rates compared to last year’s model and larger sway bars front and rear. Both models have Bilstein adaptive shock absorbers but different suspension tuning. The revised suspensions, combined with the added grip from those giant tires, do wonders. Mashing on the throttle, especially in the Hellcat, still results in a lot of noise and spinning tires, but it is noticeably easier to put down the Charger’s prodigious power with the added grip - especially coming out of turns. Driving the Widebody versions of both, I found that they still have the same sensation of speed, just with easier access. Though it also has an eight-speed automatic, the Hellcat’s engine is designed to handle the higher torque load.īoth engines are still ridiculous the Scat Pack runs from zero-to-60 mph in just 4.3 seconds and the Hellcat in 3.6 seconds, which are remarkable times given the Charger’s size. In the Hellcat, it’s a 707-hp, supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that makes 650 pounds-feet of torque. For the Scat Pack, it’s a 485-horsepower, 6.4-liter V-8 that makes 475 pounds-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. The 2020 Scat Pack and Hellcat engines are the same as 2019. For the Dodge Charger, which I’ve always preferred to the Challenger because its longer wheelbase provides more stability, these changes would likely have the same affect. On the Challenger, they made a car that was fast in a straight line but difficult to control more accessible and quicker around the bends. Related: 6 Things You Should Know About the New 2020 Dodge Charger Widebodiesĭodge previously released the Challenger’s Widebody Package with many of the same changes found on the Charger, and we were big fans of those upgrades. (Per our ethics policy, pays for its own lodging and transportation at such automaker sponsored events.) I headed to Sonoma, Calif., to test the updated 2020 Charger Scat Pack and Charger SRT Hellcat with Widebody additions on coastal streets and the road course at Sonoma Raceway.
Dodge scat pack upgrade#
In large part because I know what “Widebody” means in Dodge parlance: a serious upgrade in performance. Dodge’s announcement that Widebody versions of the Charger would be coming for the 2020 model year were met with personal delight.